Synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine and method for operating the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine and the method for operating the same. According to the present invention, a servo feeding device is provided on one side of a punching machine for guiding a material strip into the punching machine for processing. In addition, a servo pulling device is provided on the other side of the punching machine for conveying a finished strip from the punching machine. Besides, a central servo control system is provided for controlling the servo feeding device and the servo pulling device. Thereby, the material strip can be fed and pulled synchronously.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine and the method for operating the same, and particularly to a servo feeding device and a servo pulling device disposed on opposing sides of a punching machine, respectively. By configuring the parameters of the central servo control system, the servo feeding device and the servo pulling device are controlled for feeding and pulling strip materials synchronously in a punching process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The punching process uses pressure to punch various materials into desired structures. With the current progresses in technologies, the punching process is applied extensively in a variety of industries such as electrical engineering, electronics, and mechanics. In addition, with the prosperous development of 3C products, the designs for related components become lightweight and compact. Accordingly, automatic, mass-productive, high-speed, and high-precision forging and stamping processes have become the inevitable direction of development.

The shaping process using an automatic punching machine according to the prior art is to dispose a feeding device on one side of a punching machine. A strip material is conveyed by the feeding device to the punching machine for forging and stamping and thus completing processing on products. Nonetheless, current clamp-type feeding device are mostly suitable for the single-side feeding device of the high-speed punching machines. The precision of the material strip tends to be deviated owing to mechanical wear or processing stress. In addition, some feeding devices adopt a single motor to drive the connecting rod or cam mechanism for clamping and conveying a material strip. Because the motion of the connecting rod or cam mechanism is fixed, even adjustment is allowed, its range is quite limited. It is difficult for a user to adjust individually the time sequence of motions for respective portions of the feeding device. Besides, the basic parameters such as the feeding length and the thickness of the material strip are not adjustable via electrical controls. Consequently, the adjustment procedure is extremely time-consuming and complicated.

While performing precision forging and stamping processes on electronic products or other precision components, deviation in the precision of material strips brings about problems in other processing or assembly procedures and affecting production yield. In traditional feeding devices, processes on extremely thin material strips are performed with low speed in order to maintain product precision, which translates to low productivity. In addition, by the disposing the feeding device on a single side, the material strips are easily bended due to resistance and hence leading to flaws in the finished products. In traditional feeding device, the adjustments for the thickness, length, and angle of material strips and clamping timing and pressure are done mechanically. Some parameters in some machines might be even unadjustable. Accordingly, it is required to develop a feeding system in forging and stamping processes that can maintain flatness for thin material strips while meeting speed and precision requirements.

SUMMARY

An objective of the present invention is to provide a synchronous servo feeding system and the method for operating the same. According to the present invention, a servo feeding device and a servo pulling device are disposed on both sides of a punching machine, respectively. A central servo control system controls the servo feeding device and the servo pulling device for feeding and pulling a material strip synchronously. Thereby, the material strip can be kept flat during the punching process.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a synchronous servo feeding system and the method for operating the same. According to the present invention, the adopted servo feeding device and servo pulling device are identical.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a synchronous servo feeding system and the method for operating the same. According to the present invention, the applicable thickness of the material strip is between 0.01 and 0.2 mm.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a synchronous servo feeding system and the method for operating the same. According to the present invention, parameters can be adjusted via the central servo control system. Thereby, high-speed and high-precision punching process can be performed on the material strip.

In order to achieve the above objectives and efficacies, the present invention provides a synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine and the method for operating the same. According to the present invention, a servo feeding device is provided on one side of a punching machine for guiding a material strip into the punching machine for processing. In addition, a servo pulling device is provided on the other side of the punching machine for conveying a finished strip from the punching machine. Besides, a central servo control system is provided for controlling the servo feeding device and the servo pulling device. Thereby, the material strip and the finished strip can be guided and conveyed synchronously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of the synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a structural schematic diagram of the servo feeding device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the clamping unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the actions of the clamping set according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make the structure and characteristics as well as the effectiveness of the present invention to be further understood and recognized, the detailed description of the present invention is provided as follows along with embodiments and accompanying figures.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which shows a flowchart of the synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the method for operating the synchronous servo feeding system according to the present invention comprises steps of:

Step S1: Using a servo feeding device disposed on one side of a punching machine to guide a material strip to the punching machine for processing; and

Step S2: Using a servo pulling device disposed on the other side of the punching machine to convey a finished strip from the punching machine.

The servo feeding device and the servo pulling device are controlled by a central servo control system for guiding and conveying the material strip and the finished strip synchronously.

The above material strip can be a thin material strip with a thickness between 0.01 and 0.2 mm. The servo feeding device and the servo pulling device are identical devices disposed on the opposing sides of the punching machine. In addition, the servo central servo control system controls the servo feeding and pulling devices for guiding and conveying, namely, feeding and pulling, the material strip. According to the present invention, by using the guiding and conveying actions, the material strip can be maintained flat in the punching process, which is quite different from the clamp-type feeding device according to the prior art. For example, in a clamp-type feeding device according to the prior art, the feeding device or the pulling device is disposed on a single side of the punching machine. Consequently, during the punching process, the material strip is easily to be bent due to resistance when it is conveyed, resulting in reduction in the precision of the finished strip.

In addition, according to the present invention, for processing thin material strips with thickness between 0.01 and 0.2 mm, the software executed in the central servo control system can be used for adjustment and compensating feeding accuracy, hence the punching machine can perform high-speed and high-precision punching process on thin material strips. In the punching process on thin material strips using the clamp-type feeding device according to the prior art, low-speed processing is mostly adopted to keep the precision of the finished strip. This will lower the productivity. On the contrary, the punching machine according to the present invention can solve the above drawbacks in the clamp-type feeding device according to the prior art by using the central servo control system, the servo feeding device, and the servo pulling device.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which shows a structural schematic diagram of the servo feeding device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the servo feeding device 1 according to the present invention comprises a frame 10, a guiding base 20, a clamp set 30, a servo module 40, and a guiding device 50. The guiding base 20 is disposed on the frame 10. The clamp set 30 includes a fixed clamp 301 and a movable clamp 302. The plurality of clamps pass through the guiding base 20, respectively. The servo module 40 is disposed on one side of the frame 10 for driving the clamp set 30. The guiding device 50 is connected with the movable clamp 302 and drives the movable clamp 302 to move back and forth.

Based on the above structure, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a material strip (not shown in the figure) is placed on the guiding base 20. The servo module 40 controls the clamp set 30 for clamping and releasing the material strip. Besides, the guiding device 50 drives the movable clamp 302 and thus conveying the material strip to a punching machine (not shown in the figure) for the punching process.

Please refer again to FIG. 2. A guiding roller 201 is disposed on one side of the guiding base 20 and used to facilitate conveying the material strip to the punching machine for the punching process. Please refer to FIG. 3 concurrently. FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the clamping unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the fixed clamp 301 and the movable clamp 302 include a clamp unit 303, respectively. The plurality of clamp units 303 include clamping pieces 304. The clamp pieces 304 can be detachable clamp pieces. Thereby, they can be replaced according to the condition of the material strip and thus meeting the requirements of different industries.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the servo module 40 includes a first servo driving device 401 and a second servo driving device 402. The first servo driving device 401 corresponds to the fixed clamp 301 and is disposed at one end of the frame 10. The second servo driving device 402 corresponds to the movable clamp 302 and is disposed at the other end of the frame 10. According to the present embodiment, the first and second servo driving devices 401, 402 are, but not limited to, servo motors, respectively. Alternatively, they can be linear motors. Moreover, the first servo driving device 401 is connected to a first prop member 403, which is against the fixed clamp 301. The second servo driving device 402 is connected to a second prop member 404, which is against the movable clamp 302. According to the present embodiment, the first and second prop members 403, 404 are against the clamp units 303 of the fixed clamp 301 and the movable clamp 302, respectively, for driving the clamp pieces 304 to clamp or release the material strip. According to the present embodiment, the first and second prop members 403, 404 are ballscrews. By using the ballscrews, the spin motion of the motor if converted to a linear motion. This is well known to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and hence the details will not be described. The first servo driving device 401 and the second servo driving device 402 are disposed capable of configuring the parameters for the clamping timing and force as well as the condition of the material strip for the fixed clamp 301 and the movable clamp 302 individually. The above structure and the operation are distinct from the clamp-type feeding device according to the prior art. The latter device is limited by the existing setting and unable to be adjusted. Alternatively, some clamp-type feeding device include a servo motor for driving the clamps. Nonetheless, the servo motor is a single driver for all clamps. The parameters of an individual clamp cannot be adjusted. Besides, once the timing of the mechanisms of the clamps is set, it cannot be modified any longer.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 2. The guiding device 50 includes a linear guiding rail 501 and a linear motor 502. The movable clamp 302 passes through the guiding base 20 and is connected with the linear guiding rail 501. To elaborate, the movable clamp 302 and the second servo driving device 402 are fixed on a slider of the linear guiding rail 501. The linear motor 502 is disposed on the other side of the frame 10 and connected with the slider for driving the movable clamp 302 and the second servo driving device 402 to move back and forth. Furthermore, an optical ruler 503 can be disposed on one side of the guiding device 50. The optical ruler 503 is disposed on one side of the linear guiding rail 501 and used for monitoring and feeding back the moving status and distance of the movable clamp 302.

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 2 concurrently. FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the actions of the clamping set according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, first, use the first and second servo driving devices 401, 402 to configure the thickness of material strip and the clamp timing for the fixed and movable clips 301, 302, respectively. Next, open the fixed and movable clamps 301, 302 and place the material strip 7 into the fixed and movable clamps 301, 302. Afterwards, close the movable clamp 302 to clamp the material strip 7. The linear motor 502 then drives the slider (not shown in the figures) of the linear guiding rail 501 to move the movable clamp 302 towards the direction of the punching machine and thus conveying the material strip 7. After the movable clamp 302 moves to a preset distance, open the movable clamp 302. At the same time, close the fixed clamp 301 to clamp the material strip 7. After that, by means of the linear motor 502, the movable clamp 302 starts to drive the slider of the linear guiding rail 501 to return to the initial position. At this moment, the fixed clamp 301 continues to keep closed for clamping the material strip 7 and the movable clamp 302 continues to keep open. When the slider returns to the initial position, open the fixed clamp 301 and close the movable clamp 302. Finally, the above actions are repeated and hence continuous feeding and pulling the material strip 7 can be performed.

The material strip 7 described above can be a thin material strip with thickness between 0.01 and 0.2 mm. By configuring the parameters of the first and second servo driving devices 401, 402 as well as considering the condition of the material strip 7, the variables of timing and force for clamping and releasing the material strip 7 by the fixed and movable clamps 301, 302 can be adjusted. Thereby, high-speed and high-precision punching process can be performed on thin material strips.

The synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine and the method for operating the same according to the present invention use the central servo control system to control the servo feeding device and the servo pulling device. Thereby, the material strip can be guided, fed, and pulled synchronously. In addition to maintaining flatness of the material strip during the punching process, thanks to the capability of the central servo control system in high-speed and high-precision punching processes for thin material strips, the present invention solves the problems faced by the current punching process. According to the above advantageous features, the present invention provides a synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine and the method for operating the same with high industrial values.

Accordingly, the present invention conforms to the legal requirements owing to its novelty, nonobviousness, and utility. However, the foregoing description is only embodiments of the present invention, not used to limit the scope and range of the present invention. Those equivalent changes or modifications made according to the shape, structure, feature, or spirit described in the claims of the present invention are included in the appended claims of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for operating a synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine, comprising steps of: using a servo feeding device disposed on one side of a punching machine to guide a material strip to said punching machine for processing; and using a servo pulling device disposed on the other side of said punching machine to convey a finished strip from said punching machine; where said servo feeding device and said servo pulling device are controlled by a central servo control system for guiding and conveying said material strip and said finished strip synchronously.
 2. The method for operating a synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine of claim 1, wherein the thickness of said material strip is between 0.01 and 0.2 millimeter.
 3. The method for operating a synchronous servo feeding system for punching machine of claim 1, wherein said servo feeding device and said servo pulling device are identical devices.
 4. A servo feeding device, comprising: a frame; a guiding base, disposed on said frame; a clamp set, including a fixed clamp and a movable clamp both passing through said guiding base; a servo module, including a first servo driving device and a second servo driving device disposed corresponding to said fixed clamp and said movable clamp, respectively; and a guiding device, connected with said movable clamp, and driving said movable clamp to move back and forth.
 5. The servo feeding device of claim 4, wherein said fixed clamp and said movable clamp include a clamp unit, respectively, and said clamp unit includes a clamp piece.
 6. The servo feeding device of claim 5, wherein said clamp piece is a detachable clamp piece.
 7. The servo feeding device of claim 5, wherein said first driving device is connected with a first prop member; said first prop member is against said fixed clamp; said second driving device is connected with a second prop member; and said second prop member is against said movable clamp.
 8. The servo feeding device of claim 7, wherein said first prop member and said second prop member are against said clamp pieces of said fixed clamp and said movable clamp, respectively, for driving said clamp pieces to clamp or release a material strip.
 9. The servo feeding device of claim 4, wherein said guiding device includes a linear guiding rail and a linear motor; said movable clamp passes through said guiding base and is connected with a slider of said linear guiding rail; and said linear motor is disposed on the other side of said frame and connected with said slider.
 10. The servo feeding device of claim 4, wherein a guiding roller is disposed on one side of said guiding base for facilitating conveying a material strip. 